Twilight of Her Hope
by KairiHeartzXIII
Summary: Things were downhill the moment I was born. I wasn't special. My mom was dead. My dad didn't care. It's the usual tragic tale of the tragic life of a tragic girl. Until I met the Cullens. They gave me hope I had never dreamt I'd feel before.
1. Preface

Feirce roars echoed behind me as I sped off to see him, I had to literally push to my limits to make sure the Newborns didn't catch up to me, and I didn't stop. Not like I'd get tired or anything, I was a vampire, afterall, but the thought of what was going to happen to him if I didn't make it was unbearable, and it made me anxious. I let a dry, tearless sob escape from my throat as the picture flashed through my mind again, then I shook it away. I snarled and ripped my way through two Newborns charging head-on at me, and their cries of pain fueled my speed somehow.

I saw him, finally, after having to battle my way away from him, then back to him, away from him again, and then back once more. A smile made it's way onto my lips.

"Claude!" I cried, and in an instant I was stopped beside him. He turned to me, bewilderment clear on his face, then he smiled and hugged me. I hugged back, then pressed my lips to his. We were only like that for seconds, because Newborns were beginning to surround us yet again, their eyes wild with thirst as the little human girl I had come to love dearly was pressed between Claude and I.

I began to take out most of them while Claude took out any who tried to go near her. We put the peices into piles and began lighting fire to them, and then Claude picked Raven up.

Then, I saw _her_ just as she raced off with a Newborn at her side. Victoria.

"Adellia, I'm going to take her somewhere safe," he told me, carrying her in his arms bridal style, and I nodded.

"I can handle Victoria," I grimaced at the name, and he pressed a kiss onto my lips.

"I love you," he told me in a low voice.

"I love you, too," I whispered, bringing the back of my hand lightly against his cheek.

He was my mate, my soulmate, and I knew he wouldn't live without me. I had to live, then, so we could both protect Raven. She was like the daughter we could never have. For a second, he held Raven carefully with one arm, and took my hand, placing a kiss on it. Then, he was running, and for a minute I watched him, completely oblivious to the war that was still raging. Everything came back to me, all of the sights, sounds, and smells of the thing called destruction that war had brought with it.

I took off, following Sam's thoughts, no matter how unbearable those wolves might smell, one of them would lead me to-

_Snap._

I dug my feet into the ground, coming to a stop, and looked around intently. Another Newborn looking for something to drink out of me. Why did I still smell so appetizing even as a vampire? I can understand when I was human, I could see the struggle in _their_ eyes, but even as a vampire! How stupid!

Rustling came from behind me, uneven breathes, the smell of fresh blood, footsteps, and a cry as it lunged at me.

I dodged the Newborn's attack with half of a second to spare, then proceeded to rip her apart just like she had intended to be my fate. I threw her in a pile, and lit her on fire, purple smoke beginning to rise after a little while. I looked at my hand, and saw the slightest bite mark on it.

"So she got me anyway..." I muttered, rubbing it, then a velvet voice spoke in my head.

_'Damn... One wrong move and Victoria will get Bella...'_ Edward thought, his voice coming from northeast of my location. I sped off again, letting my anger take control.

It's shocking, though. I never would have thought I'd be in a battle like this. I still have yet to wonder how things will turn out.


	2. Chapter 1

I couldn't see anything, I couldn't feel anything except an inescapable pool of hopelessness and despair, as if I had just committed a crime and regretted it with my entire being, felt lower than low, and the only other thing I could feel besides the agonizing emotional pain was an agonizing physical pain, shooting up and down my lower right half. I felt like I wanted to die, just to get rid of a nuisance to anyone who might find me, if I was somewhere that I could be found. I didn't attempt to move, I didn't want to move, I couldn't recall what had happened to me, I couldn't recall anything before now. The dark was soothing the anxiety that I feared would wake me up, so I had no intentions whatsoever to find my way into any light, but I heard a voice let out a small moan of pain, only to realize it was my voice. No, go back to sleep. Go back to sleep, and don't ever wake up. I don't remember how many times I must have thought that until I found myself saying it in a distant and disoriented way. My eyes opened halfway, no matter how many times I told them to stay closed. I was on auto pilot, I attempted to sit up, unwillingly so, and blinked until my vision had cleared enough to tell where I was, then all of my numbed senses came back to me.

I could smell fresh pine and cool, damp outside air. I felt the pine needles jabbing at the skin on my hands, and the sensation of rain falling upon me from the skies. I noticed how badly I was trembling, how cold I was, how scared I was, and the agonizing pain in my leg increasing to the point that I was screaming. I slowly pulled up my pant leg, and gagged before quickly pulling it back down over my leg. From almost the middle of my shin, the bone of my leg sticking slightly out, snapped in half. Blood was running from the wound quickly, and I screamed again when the dirty puddle of water beneath it burned the open flesh. The anxiety doubled, maybe tripled, to the point that I was hyperventilating, as I slowly dragged myself out of the puddle. I screamed when I moved my leg the 'wrong way' and curled into a fetal position that wouldn't further injure my leg, and lay in the rain, hoping to die.

Why did I want to die? Why did I feel so... dirty? So contaminated, so filthy, so low? I would never do anything wrong...would I?

I let out a cough, and spit water from my mouth as the rain got heavier. It was getting really dark, I wondered if I was even near civilization. My mind slipped into unconsciousness again.

**-Alice's POV-**

The moment I saw it, Edward knew, too. A girl lying in the middle of the forest in out small town of Forks, either bleeding to death or drowning from the rain, yet she made not an attempt to try and survive. After a few seconds, Jasper sensed my suddenly rigid emotions, and he looked at me again, after just barely looking away to speak with Carlisle. I held my head and cringed as the vision came again, in more detail. Edward's muscles tensed as he got the same image from me. Jasper was clearly feeling uneasy at the sudden downward spiral of mine and Edward's emotions, and I gave him an apologetic look, only for him to shake his head in a way to say that it doesn't matter. It's a good thing we were all in the forest, and even better that we had just hunted minutes ago. Evreryone was turned to me, now, and I straightened back up.

"There's a girl lying in the middle of the forest in Forks, her right leg is snapped in half, and she's not conscious," I said quickly, and Esme's eyes went wide. "Since none of us could smell her, I'd say she's somewhere near the borderline."

Carlisle stood up, Edward stood up half of a second after him. The rest of us stood as well, and I heard Jasper stop his breathing just before we took off. Once we found her, we all, besides Carlisle, had stopped our breathing as well, as an extra precaution, and approached her. She was indeed unconscious, and as I saw her bood in person, I became slightly tense. I looked again at Jasper, who had stayed back a ways, and the suffering was clear in his eyes as he stared down at her. Carlisle began to put her leg back in it's original position, and she screamed in agony, before her eyes went wide and she sat upright. She looked at Carlisle, who hadn't stopped cleaning her up, and she let out a hiss as he swabbed alcohol on it. After a while, he took out his cell phone. I suddenly saw two men attempting to put the girl into an ambulence.

**-Abellia's POV-**

Who were these people? They were so...beautiful. The man who was trying to fix my leg looked too young to be a doctor, but you can't always judge on appearences, I guess. I cringed as the man swabbed alcohol on the open wound, and ground my teeth together. I felt my eyes water up, and I looked up at him again. The moment I saw the cell phone in his hand, I felt anger rush through me.

"No!" I shrieked, and he cocked his head to the side with a confused look about his face as he stared at me. "I-I hate hospitals..." the words shocked even me, only a moment previous all I remembered was hurting and wanting to die. "Take me anywhere but there..." I mumbled, my eyes half-closed. The man gave a faint smile, then, in a painful process, put my leg into a splinter. I looked up at the rest of them, noticing that they were keeping a cautious distance from me. Were they afraid of blood...?

It wasn't likely that they'd _all_ be afraid of blood, but you never know...they all had the exact eye color and skin complection, so maybe the fear of blood was hereditary within them as a family...

The next thing I knew, I was in the man's arms, and he, along with his family, were running at inhuman speed. I squealed and clutched tightly onto his neck, put my face against his chest, and closed my eyes. The deafening sound of the wind whistling in my ears, my fear, and my irregular heartbeat were enough to distract me from questioning how on earth they were able to do what they were doing.

When the wind suddenly stopped, I opened my eyes. We were at a camp, and I was already sitting down on the trunk of a large, fallen tree. I held my stomach, which had been left behind when they ran me here, and I closed my eyes again, trying to keep down whatever was creeping up my throat

They were all silent for the entire ten minutes that I sat still, and after I had calmed myself down enough to not gag, my eyes opened again. They were all looking at me. I opened my mouth, about to speak, but instead of words, I heard myself gasping for air. My heartrate hadn't once calmed down, in fact, it was speeding up, and I could feel it pounding out of my chest. The gasps were quiet at first, but they grew louder, and I was at the point that I was clutching at my chest and hyperventilating.

"She's having a panic attack," the man said.

I felt cold hands pick me up, and I opened my eyes a few milimeters to see the top of a tent over my head. Whoever had picked me up, had placed me down on something soft, and had picked my head up. A glass of water was held to my mouth, and I realized how thirsty I was, so I gulped it down, taking it with my trembling hands after a few seconds. I layed my head back down, and let sleep take me away.

**-Edward's POV-**

We all heard her heartbeat, and I glanced at Jasper, who's eyes were constricted with a pain he felt that was radiating off of her.

'_She's panicking._' he thought, and I kept a straight face. Of course, anyone could panic if they experienced what she had to in a matter of thirty minutes. _'What will we do with her? She'll probably be able to put two and two together once her head's cleared up, how do we know we can trust her?'_

That thought made me tense, and a hiss escaped my throat. I looked at Alice.

_'I can't see anyone looking for her... And she'll want to know who we are,'_ Alice told me, and by that time my entire body had tensed. _'She'll be fine tomorrow, she's going to be out all night.'_

**-Abellia's POV-**

_Oh God... Oh dear God. It was disgusting seeing my dad...mutilated. Even though I didn't love him, or care for him at all, it was hard to look at him, now. Even he didn't deserve to die the way he did. Oh my God, I'm going to be sick! I gasped for air, desperately wanting air that didn't smell of rotting flesh. My body was shaking, I couldn't find the strength to move. The entire apartment reeked of blood, my head was spinning, I was already gagging, I..._

_I opened my eyes, my vision blank, and I felt cold arms around me, carrying me... I twisted my head around to look at my captor, but my vision hadn't cleared up. I let my head rest back against something cold, stone-like... Someone's chest? I heard no heartbeat, no breath, but I felt myself bobbing in their arms with every step they took, the sound of crunching gravel... My eyes closed again just as my vision began to clear, just as the person had murmurred something to me._

_"I'll protect you, I promise."_

_The next thing I knew, something had caused me to fly through the air, and I heard the snap as I landed on my leg before I even felt the pain. After a second, I screamed. Then, something pulled me up and attempted to carry me, but I was jerked out of it's grasp by something else, and I felt my head hit the hard ground. I layed there, hearing animal snarls and the snapping of jaws, then the sound of rocks colliding. There was a soft wind, and I attempted to push myself up to a sitting position. Cold hands brushed against my cheek, and my arms gave out._

_"I'll come back for you...I promise."_

_Then, he was gone._

My eyes slowly opened, and I squinted as sunlight filled my sight. I tried to recall the dream I had just had... nothing was there in my memory.


	3. Chapter 2

The minute I woke up, the man who had put my leg in a brace unzipped the tent and brought in a plate of food. He held a warm smile on his lips as he placed the plate of eggs, bacon, and tortillas in my lap. Once the food reached my nostrils, my stomach lurched with hunger. I immediately began eating, feeling much better than I had yesterday, and my plate was soon empty.

"If you want more, just call," he had said halfway into my meal, and I only nodded as reply.

I smelled smoke from the fire, and a hint of the bacon. My stomach growled again, and I wiped my mouth before calling out for him. He was there in an instant, holding out another plate. I smiled.

"Thank you..." my voice trailed off in a way to ask of his name.

"Carlisle Cullen," he answered, and for once I noticed how beautiful his voice was.

I gave him another smile, saying, "Thank you, Carlisle."

After my second plate, I was full, so I attempted to hobble my way out of the tent, only to fall. I expected pain to come as soon as I hit the ground, but I never even hit the ground, for two small, cold arms were linked around me. I muttered a thanks as the small girl with black, spiky hair sat me down next to her with a cheerful smile.

"I'm Alice!" she said, her voice, too, sounding beautiful. I caught her sending a glance at the rest of her family for only half a second, then they all introduced themselves to me.

I stared in awe, sompletely dumbfounded by their voices, even the large, body-builder type Emmett had an absolutely beautiful voice.

Edward chuckled, it sounded like bells.

"What _are_ you guys?" I stuttered, my eyes a little wide.

"Vampires," Alice answered sincerely.

Suddenly I saw a flash of my dad, in his dead, mutilated state, the parts of his flesh that were ripped apart looked like it was done by bare hands, and bruises in the shape of hands and fingers.

I was hyperventilating again. I held my head, tears threatening to spill over, and I tried to desperately shake the images away from my head. All in vain.

I saw it, as if it were in HD, and the world around me began spinning. I was in Alice's arms again, as my gasps turned into sobs, and I roughly wiped my tears away. I opened my burning eyes to look at Edward, who was so still he looked like a statue. My sobs were accompanied by gags, and I eventually was carried back into the tent.

Alice allowed me to rest my head in her lap, and I felt a strong relief from my out of control emotions when I had layed down. After a while- I had lost count of the minutes- I calmed down enough to speak.

"A-Alice, can Edward read minds?" I hadn't even realized I was asking the question until I saw Edward peek his head through the open tent entrance, a look of shock on his face. He hadn't expected me to ask that?

"Yes, Edward can read minds. I can see into the future and Jasper can control emotions, too," she told me, and an eager smile creeped onto her lips. "You truly believe we're vampires," she whispered, and I nodded.

"I've always believed in vampires, werewolves, and spirits," again, my words shocked me.

Alice scooped me up into her arms and took me outside again.

"Your father was killed by a newborn vampire," Edward said, and my blood ran cold.

I suspected so... My strange, unidentifiable mood went suddenly downhill.

"It's better than letting him run around alive, stealing, doing drugs, and bringing a different woman home every weekend..." what the hell!! Why do I keep blurting my memories out like that before even remembering them?!

The only ones who weren't shocked were Edward and Alice. I shook my head suddenly, and sighed.

"I'm Abellia," I muttered. "A-Abellia Marley..." I suddenly recalled, and I held my head.

_"Abellia Marley, of room 32 please come down to the office. Abellia Marley of room 32 please come down to the office," the woman on the intercom spoke. The usual whispers of unlikely rumors began spreading through the room as I gathered my things, stuffed them into my bag, and left Biology. As I walked down the hallway, one of the popular girls walked out in front of me and bumped me, causing me to stumble._

_"Watch where I'm going," she sneered. I kept a straight face and continued on my way._

I shook my head, and cleared it of the memories. I looked back up at them, and saw Edward even tenser than seconds ago, if that was possible. I didn't want him in my head if it was causing him pain... He immediately relaxed.

I gave them a smile.

"Thank you so much for taking care of me, especially since you hardly know me," I said, and Esme laughed.

"Not at all, dear," she reassured me, and I gave her the same smile, only wider. "Actually, we talked it over while you were asleep, and you're welcome to stay with us."

Shocked, my mouth hung open, and I was quick to shut it, although not quick enough.

Emmett roared with laughter, most likely at my face in reaction to what Esme had said. Edward, being right next to him, slapped Emmett upon his shoulder, although he was unable to hold in a chuckle. Rosalie glared at him.

A smile I had never smiled before was on my face. One of true happiness, for I finally had a welcoming home.


	4. Chapter 3

Upon return, Edward immediately left in his car, and I looked at Alice, who gave me a sweet smile.

"He's going to pick up Bella, his girlfriend," she said, and I nodded with a small smile. "So you don't really remember much about what happened to you?"she asked me as she helped me hobble over to the couch, and the rest of the Cullens looked at me as well. I felt some color rush to my cheeks.

"I think a vampire..." my voice trailed off as the dream suddenly revealed itself to me, and I tried, with great attempt, to control my breathing. I'd already had two panic attacks, I didn't want to go for a record... I closed my eyes, and tried to completely remember. Only the dream was there. "I was...at my apartment, I had just got home from school, and I found my dad dead, mutilated, and there were bruises all over him in the shape of hands. The smell of blood made me sick, and everything started spinning... The next thing I knew, I was in the arms of someone, a vampire... He said..." my voice trailed off as I again heard his voice, distant, yet close, and so beautiful... "That he'd protect me. Then, I think the one, who killed my dad, tried to attack, and I wound up flying out of his arms and broke my leg and hit my head. That's when I passed out," I finished, and let out a deep breath.

They all, except Rosalie, who was checking her hair in a mirror, were tense. They looked anxious.

Carlisle sighed and stood up. Alice was suddenly sitting across the room with Jasper, and Carlisle slowly began to put my leg in a cast. After that was finished, he gave me pain medicine.

Alice suddenly stood up with a gasp, and I looked at her with wide eyes. She had a big grin on her face, but for some reason, I didn't relax at that.

"Let's go shopping, you'll need clothes!" she said, and Emmett was suddenly laughing.

"Alice, go easy on her, it's only her first day here!" he said, and Alice stuck her tongue out at him, before carrying me to her car and racing off with her wallet in hand. I held onto the handle of the door for dear life as she went past eighty, and my heart pounded out of my chest.

"Alice!" I shrieked, and she sighed, before slowing down to the speed limit. Every so often, she would speed up, then slow down again right before I looked over at her. We went to Olympia, and she dragged me to the mall, giving me a pair of crutches she said Carlisle had handed to her before she even left with me. I hadn't witnissed it. I sighed as I unsteadily broke in my crutches, and Alice followed patiently at my pace. She immediately took me into a store with dresses that would only be good to wear at weddings or the Prom. She became stubborn when I refused to pick any dresses out, so she shoved me into a dressing room with a pile of dresses in hand.

"I'm not wearing any of these!" I said, and I heard Alice huff.

"_Please_ just try one on? You'll look great!" she whined.

"No!" I replied dryly. "Besides, they're too expensive!" I added.

"Hey, I'm rich, you just worry about finding the right size!" Alice said.

"No way!" I said, crossing my arms.

"I'm very stubborn, Abellia," she growled.

"So am I," I growled back in the same flat tone.

I heard Alice grumble something I couldn't understand. "Fine, open the door," she sighed again, and I did. She held out her hands, and I placed the pile of dresses, ranging from every kind I could imagine and more, in them. She began walking around, putting the dresses back exactly where she found them, then came back to take me into another store to let me pick out the clothes I wanted.

After searching, I had found three shirts that had caught my eye, along with two pairs of jeans, a pair of shoes, a few skirts, and some knee length socks. Alice didn't really approve of my choice in clothing, but didn't say a word as she payed for it.

As we walked around again, she saw another store and this time literally had to drag me into it. She found a dress that I actually liked, only once I saw the price tag, I felt like having a heart attack. But she gave me no room for argument, because she took me into the dressing room herself and forced me into the dress.

She smiled triumphantly as she payed for it. All in all, I had to admit it was fun going shopping with someone, and I knew I'd like going with Alice from now on. She and I had spent two hours doing just what I had described. Just goes to show how stubborn we both are.

When we arrived at home, I saw a new face among the Cullens. She was wrapped in Edward's arms, so I assumed she was Bella.

Edward smiled at me, and Bella looked at me with a confused expression. Edward whispered something into her ear, and she gasped quietly before looking back at me with a smile. I could see why Edward was with her, she was very beautiful.

"Abellia, it's nice to meet you!" she said as I sat down in a chair.

Just then, I realized that I didn't even know what day it was. I blushed at my stupidity.

"It's Wednesay," Edward replied with a chuckle, and I gave him anotherr smile. "By the way, you'll be going to our school starting tomorrow."

My eyes went wide and my mouth hung open again. Emmett laughed again.

"I-I'm what?" I stuttered.

Carisle was beside me in an instant, placing his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him to see the same compassionate, warm smile he had on earlier.

"I was able to track down your school records, and while you and Alice were out shopping, I went down to your school and transferred them to Forks High School," he told me, and I looked at the rest of them, feeling in a daze.

"Okay..." I managed to say, feeling my heart beginning to pound. I was suddenly very nervous. Would I be treated badly, the way that girl, and probably many others, had treated me?

A sudden feeling of unusual calm overwhelmed me, and I shot a glance at Jasper, who was sitting next to Alice with his arms crossed over his chest. I could swear I saw his eyes move away from mine the moment I looked over.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you won't be 'mistreated' at school," Edward laughed, and I smiled.

"Am I going to be introduced as a family member...?" I asked uncertainly.

"Our sister-to-be," Alice replied. Her face was suddenly blank as she stared at the wall. I figeted in my seat a bit. God, the cast was itchy...wait, 'sister-to-be'? "Oh!" she suddenly laughed. "Abellia's going to want to wear colored contacts to match our eyes!" she said, and Emmett roared with laughter. I felt color rush to my cheeks again. Emmett's laughter was suddenly stopped when Rosalie hit him on the shoulder.

Carlisle looked at me for a long moment, then he sighed.

"May I talk with you?" he asked, helping me up, and I nodded, confused again. I made for my crutches, but he shook his head and carried me into the kitchen. "I had Emmet and Rosalie go to your apartment and clean up the..." he struggled for a word, "_evidence_ of your father's murder. It's going to look like he tore himself up and bled to death in suicide," he continued, and I nodded slowly, somehow not as affected as I thought I'd be. "I'm going to draw up papers to take guardianship of you, then, 'adopt' you, is that alright?" he asked, an unsure look in his eyes. I smiled and nodded enthusiastically. His smile came back as well. "What do you want to eat?" he asked after a minute of silence, and I thought for a moment.

"Pizza," I smiled again, and he had the phone in his hand. "Pepperoni," I said, and he nodded.

After he ordered, Alice showed me the room I'd be staying in. They already had a bed ready for me and everything. Apparently, being Carlisle, a doctor and a vampire, lets you meet people and be able to put in a few favors. When Alice and I had come back downstairs, the pizza was already there. Bella and I were the only ones who ate.

"I'll go put this in the-" in the middle of my offer to put the rest of the pizza away, Edward snatched it out of my hands and had it in the refridgerator before I even realized it was gone. I gave him a small glare, then sat back down.

For the first time, I noticed a grand piano. I hadn't realized that I was staring at it longingly, completely spaced. How beautiful it was... I felt a strong urge to play.

Edward was by my side, but I was still occupied by memories of playing beautiful pieces when I was sure I was alone. He was listening to the peices I had created off the top of my head, from my memory.

"You know how to play," his voice, ever so soft as it was, startled me. I stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly nodded. He helped me over to the piano, and I took a deep breath as my heart started pounding, as I felt everyone's eyes rest on me. I flexed my fingers into position over the keys, and tried to make them play. They began to tremble, and I sighed, before letting them fall into my lap. "Of course, I'm sorry," Edward sighed as well. "You only played when you were alone."

I nodded slightly. Edward helped me sit back down in my chair, then he left to take Bella home.

It was 8 o'clock. I was tired. I needed to get to sleep so I could get a good first day in at school. Alice was at my side at once, supporting me with one arm and carrying my crutches with the other arm. She helped me get upstairs, into my room, change into some pajamas, and get settled in. She lingered at the doorway, as if expecting something. I turned and looked at her, and gave her a tired smile.

"You're my first friend, Alice," I mumbled, feeling my eyes droop. I rubbed them, feeling tears coming on at another memory. "My first _real_ friend..." I sniffed and curled into a ball under my sheets. Alice placed her hand on my head.

"It's okay. We'll always be here for you, no matter what. Now, sleep, Abellia," she cooed, her musical voice lulling me to sleep.

When I woke up, it was even darker than before. I sighed and layed back down, and laid there for half an hour without falling asleep. I sighed again, then grabbed my crutches and carefully made my way downstairs. I looked around for any sign of my friends, no, family, and found no one. I sat down in front of the piano, and began to slowly play River Flows In You, by Yiruma. I gentley sang along my own lyrics to the rythm of the song.

"I have cried so many times

And it was all over you

How can I continue to

Keep such an empty promise?

When you are not here...

When you are not here

The thing I hold most dear

How can I forget the way it all used to be?

Because you are not here

I'm consumed with all my fear

I don't know how I'll hold on to my shred of sanity

And at night I cry

Inside I have died

Because you're not there to keep me safe from my worst dreams.

When you are not here

The thing I hold most dear

I let go of all the traces of my sanity

I cannot remember the

Last time that you were here

I cannot remember the

Last time you held me dear

When you are not here...

When you are not here

The thing I hold most dear

I cannot forget the way it all used to be

Because you are not here

I'm consumed with so much fear

That I cannot hold on to my shred of sanity

And at night I cry

Completely dead inside

Because you're not there to keep me safe from my own mind

When you are not here

The thing I hold most dear

I no longer have the will to keep my sanity

Now I remember the

Last time you were here

Now I remember the

Last time you held me dear

And now you are here."

I sighed after I finished the song, placed the cover over the keys, and rested my head in my arms. I had no idea why I had written that song a month ago; it sounded like something that someone would sing to a former lover who had left them for months, or years, then finally returned only to see how distraught their absence had made them. I was sure they had heard me by now, but I was too tired to care. I had felt like singing that for the Cullens, but I could never sing in front of anyone. I just couldn't sing, after what had happened... I yawned, and fell asleep again.

**-Edward's POV-**

Her memory of her playing was nothing compared to what we all heard. Abellia was playing an exact recreation of River Flows In You, although it was a little slower. Her voice was amazing, too, and the lyrics... My face twisted in pain. The lyrics reminded me of when I had left Bella. They were an exact description of how Bella must have felt during those months... I shook my head, and sighed. After she stopped, I heard her sigh. I silently appeared at the foot of the stairs, and saw her fall asleep. My muscles tensed. If she were anything like Bella, she'd only hurt herself more by doing that... I shook my head, with more force, trying not to think about it. She was just as small as Bella, and her blood was almost as tempting. Almost, but nothing could compare to Bella's scent. So very sweet, yet so very lethal to vampires, to herself... Abellia reminded me of Bella. I felt a connection to her, but a sisterly one. If anyone were to try to hurt her...

My body tensed again at the thought. If anyone were to purposely hurt her, I'd most likely make them pay in a horrid way. I clenched my teeth together, my nostrils flared, and a small hiss escaped my lips. If I continued on this path of thought, I'd definitely be risking someone's safety.

I needed anger management.

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**I think this is my longest chapter so far!! Yes, those lyrics WERE written by me.**

**I'm currently doing time in summer school, which will be lasting for three more weeks, starting NEXT week. I'm freely allowed computer time, but limited internet time. I'll be writting chapters ahead of time so I don't fall behind!**

**Thanks to: **_**Kyori Uchiha of the Sand**_**, **_**near to you**_**, and **_**OcherEyes21**_** for the reviews!! More reviews will be very appreciated!**

**'Til next time!!**

**--Hannah B.**


	5. Chapter 4

_"Watch where I'm going," one of the popular girls sneered when she bumped me in the hallway. I kept a straight face and went on my way to the office. I opened the door, and saw a single black rose with a long, thornless stem resting on the counter in front of Mrs. Stepel's desk. Tied to it in a black ribbon was a small card that read _For Abellia Marley_ on the front. I cautiously took the rose, and opened the card. Written in beautiful handwriting was a single sentence:_

I'm never too far if you need me, Love.

_I stared at the card in a daze, time passing by without my knowledge._

_Mrs. Stepel cleared her throat, and I forced myself to tear my eyes away from the words I had repeated in my head in hundred times to look at her._

_"You've been standing there for ten minutes," she said, and I felt color rush to my cheeks. She smiled as she eyed the rose. "Is there someone special you know?" she asked me, and my eyes went wide. I slowly shook my head, and my heart bgean to pound in sudden realization and panic._

_No one, and I mean _no one_ at this school liked me at all. My own teachers even disliked me, I saw it in their eyes. No one I could ever remember from my life liked me, not even my own father, so I had yet to meet anyone who did, besides Mrs. Stepel, but she didn't like me, she just didn't _dislike_ me._

_Was it a joke? My mind came up with a worse theory: a stalker? I _really_ hoped it was just a joke._

_Feeling dizzy, I sat down in one of the chairs, dropping the rose on the seat next to me in the process. With a shaking hand, I picked it up, my heartbeat racing even more. My face was so hot I had to rest my forehead against the cool surface of the counter._

_"You look sick," Mrs. Stepel said, and I mumbled something about feeling like throwing up to her. She called my dad, told him, and set me home, since he was too busy with 'work' to pick me up. I lived two blocks away, so she just let me walk. I clutched the rose in my hand, and went on my way, walking slowly._

_The smell of fresh rain entered my notsrils, and I smiled slightly, already felling better. The wind picked up, and rain began sprinkling down on me. The rose slipped through my fingers as the wind grew stronger, and I gasped and grabbed for it. It disappeared into the trees across the street. I sighed sadly, and began walking home again._

I woke up, and found myself in my room again. I rolled over onto my side, rubbing my eyes, and almost screamed when I saw a dark figure standing over me. Edward's face shimmered in the moonlight.

He gave me a smile, and sat down at the foot of my bed.

"What are you doing in here?" I mumbled, rolling over again to look at him. His smile widened into a grin.

"After you feel asleep at the piano, I brought you back in here," he said, and my face turned pink. He was silent, as he looked at the features of my expression, and I looked out of the window, not knowing what else to say.

I thought about my dream, another memory I had recalled.

Edward chuckled.

"You had a secret admirer?" he asked, and my heart skipped a beat.

My thoughts turned to the rose, the card, the words written in the card...

The muscles in Edward's jaw hardened, and his eyes turned dark.

"Stalker...?" he questioned my theory, his voice surprisingly calm, and I shrugged.

After a minute, he was looking into my eyes again.

"Do you want to go back...?" he aked me, the tone in his voice dead, and I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked, and his troubled expression relaxed a little. "I wouldn't go back for _anything_!" I told him, sitting up.

He grinned again, and stood up, saying, "You should go back to sleep."

I nodded, laying back down, and snuggled into my blankets. Edward brushed some hair from my eyes, whispered goodnight, then, in a soft wind, he was gone. I smiled, falling into a peaceful sleep.

**-Edward's POV-**

At first, when Abellia started thinking of the rose, I was happy for her, until she had considered the only two possibilities, that made sense to her, for the reasons in which the rose was sent. A joke was bad enough, but a _stalker_? That idea frightened and infuriated me.

I sighed, and tried to distract myself by thinking of my Bella.

Earlier in the evening, during our ride to her house, I had informed her that I would be here for a little while to make sure Abellia was comfortable. The time had gotten away from me, because of Abellia herself. I did not hold it against her, I was just so intruigued by her, by how much she already seemed to fit here. How much she belonged, like how Bella belonged.

I smiled. Abellia's dreams were peaceful, and that calmed me a little. But my smile faded when Alice had a vision. I saw it as clearly as she did.

A new vampire? Well... He seemed friendly enough...

My eyes went wide, I immediately clenched my fists, and my nostrils flared.

The image of him brought my mind back to the dream Abellia had had.

As she walked outside in the rain, the wind picked up it's speed. The black rose slipped from her delicate hand and blew across the street into a thicket of trees. She only sighed, and continued on her way.

My ears picked up footsteps that were otherwise silent to her ears. I studied the trees, then hissed again.

It was the vampire from Alice's vision. The black rose was clenched in his hand as he stared at Abellia.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, taking a deep breath. I shook my head, then left for Bella's. She was surely awake and wondering where I was by now.

**-Alice's POV-**

I sat own next to Jasper with a sigh. He wrapped his arms around me.

"Edward doesn't know how to feel or react to your vision," he muttered in my ear.

"I know," I giggled slightly, wrapping my arms around him, too.

"How long until this takes place?" he asked, and kissed my cheek.

I gave him another smile, and nestled into his arms as best I could.

"I don't know. I've had this vision two other times today, as if he keeps changing his mind on when he wants to come here. It's been getting closer to around the end of next month," I told him, biting my lip.

I just hoped things would go as well as I had seen.


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey!! Sorry that I took so long to update this time!! I'll try to type faster! :)**

Alice helped me out of the car, and carried her backpack and mine as I unsteadily used my crutches. I looked around, barely feeling the colored contacts in my eyes, now, as people stared at me. Edward came over, Bella right next to him, and smiled. Jasper came up next to Alice, who was leading me to the office to pick up my schedule. I waved to Bella and Edward, and my nervousness turned into an unusual calmness. Jasper...

As it turned out, I was in all of Alice's classes. Huh. I was a Senior. I hadn't remembered that. I wondered if I'd be able to keep up with the class.

The principal spotted me, and gave me a sad smile.

"Hello, Abellia. I heard about your father, and I'm sorry," he said, placing his hand sympathetically on my shoulder. How annoying, he pronounced my name as a-bill-yee-uh, not a-bell-yuh. I didn't bother to correct him.

I put on my best slightly-sad smile.

"I'm fine, really," I told him. He patted my shoulder a bit, then left.

Alice took me to our first class, English. I perked up, suddenly feeling confident. I had always done well in English. Ms. Gert was kind enough to just let me sit where I want without making me introduce myself. I was able to pick up the lesson with ease, and even answered a question.

Let's see... Math next.

It was the same, I understood pretty much the majority of the gibberish that was math equations taught by Mr. Kneelie.

I sighed. I wouldn't be able to participate in my next class. Physical Education. I always hated that, anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.

Lunch came by, and I sat quietly while the others chatted excitedly about graduation, which was coming up in a few months.

My mind wandered back to the rose. Who had sent that? Now that I thought about it more, I don't think that someone would go to so much trouble just to play a stupid, childish joke on _me_. People from my town had come to realize I wasn't even worth that much trouble over, for a simple prank like that.

Someone must've really meant it when they sent that rose to me, then. I still had yet to figure out _who_, which really annoyed me.

"Uh, Abellia? Why are you glaring at me?" Jessica asked, looking scared.

I blinked, my face going blank, then I gasped.

"I'm- I'm sorry, I was just thinking... about things..." I stuttered, and Lauren snorted. I blushed and looked at my half empty plate of food.

"No, it's okay, you were just... well, scaring me. You weren't even blinking," Jessica said, and giggled. I covered my mouth as I let out a small laugh.

After a minute, I picked at the remainder of my food, my head resting in my hand, and again, I started thinking about the rose. The thought about the rose led me to the thought of the vampire who had been carrying me in the forest. His voice replayed in my head.

_I'll protect you, I promise._

_I'll come back for you...I promise._

Suddenly, it all clicked. The one who had sent me the rose was the one who had saved me... In other words, my secret admirer was a vampire.

I shot up from my seat, and in the process I accidentally knocked my soda over, causing it to spill on me and Lauren. She screamed and stood up, bumping into Mike, and getting mashed potatoes all over her shirt. She screamed again, and I covered my mouth.

"I- I- I'm so sorry!" I shrieked, my eyes wide. People were starting to laugh at Lauren, and I saw tears forming in her eyes. I bit my lip, glancing around, then stood up. I attempted to get my crutches, then lost my balance. I hopped on my good foot in an attempt to regain my balance, but slipped on some of the soda I had spilled.

With a small scream, I fell, crashed into Tyler, got gravy spilled over my front, and fell to the floor next to him. Almost everyone who had been laughing at Lauren turned and began laughing at me. Alice helped me up, and led me quickly out of the cafeteria.

"Oh, Abellia, you're so sweet to embarass yourself like that for Lauren's sake!" she said as she helped me clean off the gravy. I blushed. "Especially on your first day," she sighed, and I gave her a nervous smile.

Lauren came in, then, and began wiping the mashed potatoes off of herself. She gave me a thankful smile, and I nodded. Suddenly, my leg started aching, badly. I winced. Alice looked at me in concern.

"Your leg?" she asked, and I nodded, my face scrunched in pain. Her face went blank for a second, then she looked at my leg and back at me. "You're tough, I'm sure you can handle the last two periods."

I gave her a smile, and started cleaning the gravy from my hair. After a few minutes, we went to class.

"Why are you two-" Mr.Greene stopped in the middle of his sentence when he saw the stains on the front of my shirt.

"I'm sorry, she slipped during lunch, so I helped her get cleaned up," Alice said, batting her eyes a bit.

Mr. Greene gave a single nod, and we took our seats with smiles.

On our way to Biology, Alice told me the fastest way, then hurriedly left with Jasper. I entered the room, suddenly very scared. I was alone, in a sense, and I looked at Mr. Skavdahl with frightened eyes. He gave me a warm, welcoming smile, and pointed to my seat, in the front.

The girl next to me gave me a smile, and I smiled back.

"I'm Sarah," she said, extending her hand to me. I shook it.

"I'm Abellia," I replied, then looked back at Mr. Skavdahl.

"Today, we're going to be studying blood cells," he started.

My heart began to pound.

He pricked his finger with a needle, and...

My stomach lurched.

He was placing a drop of his blood onto a square peice of glass. He pressed another peice of glass ontop of it, causing the small speck of blood to flatten out.

I bit my lip, and laid my head down on the table for a few seconds. My heartrate sped up, and I could feel the blood draining from my face as I sat back up.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked, and I shook my head. "Gosh, you're awfully pale," she muttered, and Mr. Skavdahl came up to me.

"Do you need to go to the nurse?" he asked, and I nodded, closing my eyes. Sarah stood up.

"I'll take her," she said, helping me up.

"Alright, go ahead," Mr. Skavdahl told us with a smile.

I left the classroom, my stomach feeling even worse, and Sarah trailed at my side with my bag in her hands. I had made it outside, but I quickly sat down, holding my stomach. I gasped for air, trying my best not to gag.

"A-Abellia...? Do I need to call an ambulence?" Sarah asked me, fear in her voice. I shook my head, taking in deep breathes.

"Abellia?" Alice's voice chimed from behind me. I turned around and looked up, and sure enough, Alice was there. "Oh, Abellia, I totally forgot to tell you about the blood cell observation in Biology," she said, kneeling down next to me. "I'll take you home," she told me, and helped me up. I waved to Sarah, giving her the best smile I could get out of me, and let Alice drive me home.

"Alice," I mumbled, pressing my forehead against the window.

"Hmm?"

"You guys can't control your thirst like Carlisle can, so that's why you left school?"

"Mm-hmm."

After we got home, Alice made me lay down on the couch and sip orange juice. Even though it did help me feel better, I still felt like she was treating me like a child. She sat down with me, and watched whatever I wanted to watch on tv without protest.

She was chatting away at every commercial, and I answered whatever I could.

"We all heard you playing last night, you know, and you're really good, so why are you so shy to play in front of anyone?" she suddenly asked, and I looked at her with a surprised expression. I cleared my throat.

"I-I just can't... I did once, on stage, but..." I looked down at my feet. I sighed. "One of the stage lights broke and fell," I continued, and I pointed to the scar on my left arm. "It hit me on the arm, and I fell and hit my head, I couldn't go up on a stage without reliving it, and then my fear just grew until I couldn't play in front of anyone at all."

Alice looked at me sadly, and gave me a hug.

"I'm sorry," she said, then smiled and looked at the front door. I looked just as Edward, Bella, and Jasper came through, and I gave them each a smile.

"Hey!" Bella grinned. "I heard about what happened in your last class, how do you feel, now?"

"I feel fine," I replied.

Emmett and Rosalie came back just then. Emmett grinnned at me.

" Hey, how was your first day at school?" he asked, flopping down next to me on the couch and giving me a big hug.

I shrugged.

"It was okay," I said, but unfortunately, Alice had already begun explaining the events of the day.

"She picked up really well in all of her classes! During lunch, she was really quiet, then all of a sudden she stood up, and knocked over her soda. It spilled on both her and Lauren!"

Emmett boomed with laughter at that point. Rosalie was smiling.

"'So then Lauren started freaking out and stood up, then she bumped into Mike and got mashed potatoes all over herself!" Alice continued, and Emmett laughed again. "So, everyone started laughing at her, right, so Abellia decided to 'slip' on a soda puddle and slam into Tyler, which got gravy all over her, just so Lauren wasn't alone in the spotlight."

I blushed, and Emmett linked one of his huge arms around my shoulders.

"Man, I _missed_ that?" he asked me, and I nodded with a nervous smile. He squinted his eyes for half of a second. "You look pale, are you okay?"

I nodded.

"Fear of blood, blood cell observation in Biology, do the math," I said, sticking my tongue out with a silly smile.

Emmett looked at my like I was crazy, then laughed again.

"You sure are something special, kid," he said, shaking his head with a big grin on his face.

I was suddenly mad. I hated being called a kid, Emmett hit a nerve...

"_Kid_?" I growled, narrowing my eyes, and Emmett's eye went wide. I crossed my arms. "I absolutely _hate_ being called a _kid_," I said, glaring at him.

"Well, compared to us, you _are_ a..." Edward's voice trailed off when I gave him one of my feircest glares. He shut his mouth.

I looked at Jasper when I had suddenly calmed down, and nodded to him. He nodded back.

**--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o-o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--**

**Yeah, I didn't really know what to write in this chapter, lol. And I was making up teacher's names as I went along. Review, please!! :)**

* * *


	7. SORRY!

Hey, guys! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated for so long! I have ongoing internet issues, along with other things. I'm going to try to update tomorrow! I swear! If I don't, then you can hunt me down and shoot me or something! Again, I'm sorry!! -bashes my head against a brick wall- Thank you so much for supporting this story so far!! I'll list all of your guy's user names when I get the chance!! -bashes my head against the wall again-


	8. Chapter 6

I rolled over in bed, placing my pillow over my head. I grumbled, then sat up. Ugh, insomnia was annoying.

I layed back down after a second, and squeezed my eyes shut. I waited ten minutes, then growled and sat back up for the ninth time tonight. I looked at my clock. Twelve-freakin'-thirty in the morning, and I wasn't tired at all.

Three and a half weeks of being with vampires that don't sleep, and I wind up not being able to sleep, either.

A shadow passed by my window, and I gasped, snapping my head around. My heart sped up, and I slowly got to my feet. I grabbed for something that was good to hit with, and quickly glanced around after feeling nothing. I saw a bat in the corner of my room, so I quickly went over and clenched it tightly in my hands, before turning back to my window. I approached it, and slowly opened it. I popped my head out of the window, and looked around.

"Hello?" I called, hearing my voice echoe in the woods. There are alot of shadows moving outside, any of them could be anyone. Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle, Esme...

_Or maybe your vampire stalker._

My heart sped up even more, and it was becoming slightly difficult to breathe, but I couldn't make myself close the window again. He could be out there, anywhere, but if he was a threat, then the others would have taken care of him already if he was even near here... I gulped, imagining Alice taking on another vampire.

A cold hand touched my shoulder, and I screamed, hitting a note only dogs would be able to hear. I hit my head on the frame of the window, and fell. Small arms were around me and laying me down on my bed in an instant. I held my head, my eyes watering again, and I bit my lip really hard to stop myself from crying.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Alice said, putting her hand ontop of my head. The pain eased instantly.

I held my hand to my chest, my heart pounding out of control, and looked at Alice after I had wiped the tears from my eyes.

"You need to sleep," she said, trying to get me to lay down.

Did she seriously think I'd be able to sleep after being scared half to death?!

I gasped for air, shaking my head. "C-can't sleep," I mumbled.

Alice gave me a smile that sparkled even at night.

"Okay, then how about you play on the piano?" she said, and my eyes went wide. Before I could protest, she had already carried me down to the living room. "Come on, you can do it!" she whispered, sitting me down at the piano.

I shook my head, expecting to start reliving the accident any second. Alice sat next to me, and slowly starting playing a few keys.

"You can do it," she told me in a confident tone.

The scar on my arm tingled, and I rubbed it, shivers going down my spine.

I took in a deep breath. Okay, you know what? I'm not going to relive it. I'm just going to play.

I'm just going to play.

I'm just going to play.

I kept repeated it to myself, my hands rising to the keys. I positioned my fingers, and played a few keys like Alice had. Those few keys turned ito a few more, and a few more. Soon I was playing Kiss The Rain, another song by Yiruma. Alice smiled, and silently watched me.

"You see?" she whispered after I had finished, and I looked back up at her. "All this time you could play," she said again, and I nodded, smiling, too.

She glanced around, then looked back at me.

"Are you tired yet?" she asked, and I shook my head. "But you're calm," she said, and I nodded.

It was a good thing that it was the weekend, I could sleep during the day. I looked out of the window, and confusion pulled at my eyebrows. Had it been raining a second ago? Suddenly, the rain stopped. I blinked, then shook my head. I really needed sleep.

My leg suddenly ached again. Alice was gone and back with my pain medication in half a second. I thanked her, and took them. She helped me back up the stairs.

As I got in bed, it started raining. I laid on my side, then finally fell asleep.

**-3rd person POV-**

He had been following the scent of a newborn for a few days, and twice, had almost caught him, but he had gotten away. He sighed, rubbing his temples, then came across a familiar scent.

He turned his head. There she was, walking home in the rain. Her beauty and radiance made her stand out so much, he almost tried to approach her every time she came into his sight.

Abellia.

How he longed to call out her name, see her smile at him, see her smiles reach her beautiful jade eyes, like they did when she played piano...

He could not.

Although he barely noticed the scent of blood, anymore, and could completely control himself, he felt unworthy for such a beautiful creature. Ever since he first laid his eyes on her, he couldn't leave.

The first time he had seen her...it was three years previous to that day. He had come to know her, by her actions, by the tones she used when speaking, by looking into her eyes whenever she cried at night.

She'd always curl up in a ball and look out of her window, into the night skies, oblivious to the man who was watching over her every second that he could.

One night in particular, he remembered as clearly as ever.

She had been in an argument with her father, as usual, but he had the _nerve_ to strike her across the face! How could such an evil man make such a perfect girl like her? It didn't make sense at all. But, she had run to her room, and had barely locked the door before she burst into her silent tears.

"God, kill me!" she had whispered, as she trembled in an attempt to control her sobs. "Release me," she had said, her desperation clear in her voice. "If you can't release me, then, atleast give me a way to release myself!"

He wanted so badly to open her window and take her into his arms, rock her back and forth, and tell her that it would be okay, that he'd take her anywhere she wanted to go, if it made her happy. He couldn't.

Now, he was watching her walk home, her face paler than usual, with his rose in her hand. He had finally worked up enough courage to send her that rose. Just that one, single rose. He was a coward, and he knew it all too well.

Abellia looked down at the black rose in her hand, and he heard her heart speed up. The rose slipped from inbetween her small fingers and blew toward him. He quickly made sure he was completely hidden, then picked up the rose from his feet. She let out a small sigh, then walked home.

His body tensed as he smelled the newborn again, and his eyes turned dark with anger. He sped off, and followed the scent of blood. A low growl rumbled in his throat, as he found where the trail leaded.

Abellia's apartment.

It was not Abellia's blood he smelled, it was her father's. The newborn was long gone, and he heard Abellia approaching. He was gone before she was ten steps away. He listened to her, as she gasped, dropped her belongings to the ground in shock, and began to panic. He caught her as she fainted, and ran off, her in his arms.

The newborn was surely looking for _her_, not her father. She was, afterall, one of the sweetest smelling humans he had come by during his time as a vampire. The newborn must have only killed Abellia's father because he was desperate for food. He hadn't even hidden the body or cleaned up the evidence... What a fool.

Now, as he slowed to a stop in the forest of Forks, he heard her stir. She turned her head, looked up at him, then let her head fall back against his chest.

"I'll protect you, I promise," he murmurred to her, his grip tightening ever so slightly around her. Minutes after, the newborn attacked, his eyes blood red.

He grabbed Abellia and flung her out of his arms, and when she landed, there was a sickening snap. It had taken her a second to comprehend what had happened, then she screamed in agony. The two vampires fought, and the newborn wound up fleeing again.

"I'll come back for you...I promise."

**-Alice's POV-**

I heard Edward hiss once he had gotten home, as I was thinking about the vampire that had yet to come. I had seen him coming to this house, within six days time, and he hadn't changed his mind so far.

Carlisle and Esme looked at me, and I grinned. I made my way over to Abellia, and suggested that she played a song for us on the piano.

Abellia shook her head, a frightened expression on her face, and I pouted.

"I'm sorry, I just don't feel like it right now," she said, and I rolled my eyes.

"Alright," I sighed.

I sat back down next to Jasper.

**-Abellia's POV-**

Alice was becoming obsessed about me playing the piano, or something... Geez, I only know so many songs.

But I was trying not to let anything bring me down, because Carlisle told me that my leg was healing surprisingly fast, and I'd have the cast off in a few days. It was four in the afternoon on a Sunday, and, for some reason, I was anxious to go back to school.

The three weeks with the Cullens had gone by so fast, and I did 't know where the time went. I was liked very much at school, and that made me happy. Well, happier.

I looked at Jasper, suddenly realizing that he had hardly spoken a word to me the entire time I had been there. Edward smiled, sitting down next to me.

I suddenly remembered that my birthday was tomorrow.

Edward chuckled, and I gulped.

"Abellia, your eighteenth birthday's tomorrow!" Alice said, squealing in excitement. "I'll call around to get things for the party!!"

She was up and on the phone in an instant, and my eyes went wide.

"Don't worry, Alice won't invite the entire town, or anything," Edward said, giving me his crooked smile. "It's just going to be family."

I gave him a smile, though I knew I still looked nervous. I layed back on the couch, letting my mind wander off.

Bella and I had bonded at once, once we got a chance to really talk. I went to her house on two occassions, her dad really liked me, but he wasn't very fond of Edward. When we were in her room, she told me all about her friend Jacob Black, how he had been there for her when the Cullens left for several months, how he and Bella had become the best of friends, and that he, along with quite a few of his friends in La Push, were werewolves. She really cared for him, probably more than she could put into words.

I wanted to meet the pack. They seemed really nice.

At this thought, Edward tensed, ever so slightly.

'_Oh, calm down,_' I thought, and he relaxed again.

_You know how I feel about the _dogs_, Abellia._

I blinked, and looked at Edward.

"You know how I feel about the _dogs_, Abellia."

I rolled my eyes, and he gave me another smile.'

"Bella can go, so, so can I. I'm no different than her," I said, and this time, he was the one to roll his eyes.

"That's exactly my point," he muttered, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "But the next time Bella goes, you can, too."

I smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you!" I said, and he laughed.


	9. Chapter 7

During the entire day at school, I had a feeling like something was going to happen. The feeling worsened with every passing hour, and I was, for some reason, dreading having to go to Biology. It was already halfway through lunch.

Despite what I had done to help her out of the spotlight, Lauren didn't seem to like me much. Actually, Lauren and Jessica didn't really like Bella, either. I played with my food, only taking a few bites, before the bell rang.

"Don't worry," Alice whispered to me as we went to Biology. I raised an eyebrow, about to say, 'You've told me that a million times but I'm still going to worry until Biology is over,' when she rolled her eyes and nodded. "I get it..."

The bell rang, so we went on our way. Fifteen minutes into class, Mr. Skavdahl recieved a call from the front office.

"Abellia, you're wanted in the office," he said, and my heart started pounding again. I quickly left the classroom to advoid as many stares as possible.

No one was in the hall as I made my way down to the office. When I entered, Mrs. Cope gave me a smile.

"Hello, Abellia," she said, her smile not leaving her face.

"Hi," I replied quietly.

Mrs. Cope reached for something, then pulled out a dozen black roses. My heart skipped two beats, and my eyes went wide.

"Looks like you've got an admirer," she grinned. I took the bouqet into my hands.

I opened the card: it had the same, beautiful script like the last one.

_I'm sorry that I couldn't keep my promise, Love._

_-C._

My throat was dry, my heart was pounding at an unhealthy rate, and I struggled to keep my breathing under control. I gave Mrs. Cope a smile, then left for class, again.

People stared when I came back in. I was completely silent for the rest of the period.

When we got home, the house was decorated with pink all around. Ewww. I hate pink.

Bella and Edward came in with grins on their faces, and put two neatly wrapped presents on the dining table, next to five other presents and a big, pink cake.

"Happy birthday!" Bella said, giving me a hug.

I hugged back, smiling, and we all sat down so I could open my presents. The first one was from Alice. An iPod. I smiled and hugged her.

"Thank you!" I said, putting the unwrapped box aside.

I grabbed the next present.

"_From Emmett and Rosalie,_" I read aloud, then opened the card. I smiled at them, and Rosalie returned it with a small smile of her own.

It was three cds, one of Bullet For My Valentine, one of Fall Out Boy, and one of Linkin Park.

"Awesome!" I grinned, placing the cds next to my iPod.

Esme handed me a large box, and I gasped after I'd opened it.

"A laptop?" I almost shrieked, and she smiled. I shook my head. "Y-you can't be... serious.." I said, my mouth hanging open.

"I'm not returnring it," she told me in a final tone, and I rolled my eyes.

"I love it," I said after a second, putting it down.

Edward and Bella gave me their presents. I opened them quickly.

Bella had gotten me a My Chemical Romance t-shirt. I hugged her, and put it down. Edward had gotten me blank cds. I looked at him in confusion for half a second.

"Incase you want to record any of your piano pieces," he told me, and my smile widened. I hugged him, and he stiffly hugged back, before releasing me and putting me back in the chair.

The next present was from Jasper. Tickets to see Linkin Park two weeks from now. I grinned at him, and he gave me a small smile. I didn't hug him, because I knew of his limits.

"Thanks," I said, and he nodded.

The last present was from Carlisle. It was very small, and there was plenty of room to shake something in it. After I opened it, I nearly had a stroke. Car keys?!

Edward chuckled, and I looked at Carlisle, who had come in five minutes ago.

"You bought me a _car_?!" I yelled, and Carlisle smile widened. I went outside to actually see it for myself.

There it was. I looked between Carlisle and the car, speechless. It was similiar to Alice's car, but midnight blue.

"I... you... but... insane!" I stuttered. I sat down. "A car...?" I mumbled.

"You don't like it?" Carlisle asked, something along the lines of hurt and confusion in his voice as he spoke, and I shook my head.

"No, no, I like it, but... I'm shocked," I said quickly, and Carlisle smiled again.

I hopped up and hugged him.

"Thank you," I said, and kissed his cheek. He held his cheek with wide eyes, and I laughed. "What?"

"I hadn't expected that," he admitted, and I shook my head, my mouth twisting into a half smile like Edward's. He studied it for a second, then smiled again. "You probably know this by now, but Edward is very protective of you. Jasper tells me that whenever something comes up that Edward thinks might harm you in any way, he can feel Edward's emotions very intensely, just like when Bella is threatened."

He and I gave eachother smiles again, then went back inside, where Alice cut the cake and gave me the first piece. I smiled, seeing that it was chocolate, and took a bite.

"Mmm..." I sighed. It had been a while since I'd had anything sweet, and that cake was delicious.

Bella was the only other one who was eating cake. After Bella and I had eaten our fill, I suddenly had a thought.

"You guys told me about a three vampires named Victoria, James, and Laurent... James and Laurent are dead, and Victoria... she wants revenge, right?" I asked, and they nodded. I had heard all of the stories about what had occurred during the last nearly two years Bella had been here. I had heard about the intruder in Bella's bedroom, too. "What if Victoria and the intruder are connected?" I asked, and everyone tensed. I could feel the emotions like static in the air... I shuddered.

"That's...possible," Carlisle eventually said, and he winced at the word 'possible'.

Jasper turned all of the grim emotion into calm.

Edward had wrapped his arms more securely around Bella.

Suddenly, I wanted to go see the pack.

Edward tensed, again trying not to make it obvious.

"Abellia, you can wait for two days, until after you get your cast off," he said, and I gave him a confused look.

"Why? It's my birthday," I said, crossing my arms.

"What?" Bella asked.

"I want to go to La Push," I told her, and she smiled. I smiled, too.

Edward sighed.

"Please?" I asked, putting on a puppy dog face. Edward looked at me for a second, then burst into laughter. "Pretty pleeeeease?" I whined, and everyone was trying to hold in their laughter, now.

"Alright, alright," Edward sighed, and I clapped.

"Yay!" I yelled, suddenly feeling hyper. Oh crap... just remembered my reasons for not eating many sweets. I get sugar high.

Alice giggled, and I giggled.

"Bella's coming, too, right?" I asked a little loudly, and Edward nodded. "Yay!!" I yelled again.

"Oh, dear lord, you're sugar high?" Edward asked, a disbelieving look on his face. Bella laughed, and I stuck my tongue out at Edward. He only laughed as a response. "This will be entertaining to hear of when you're with the dogs. You'll probably drive the leader insane."

"Sam," Bella corrected him.

I bounced up and down in my seat in Edward's Vovlo. Bella had called Jacob and told him to meet us at the borderline. So, he did.

"Hey, you two!" Jacob said, waving, and he hugged both of us, after taking three long strides to fill the distance between us. I smiled, and he sniffed me.

"You smell like frosting, once you get past the horrible smell of the _vampires_," he said, his nose crinkling. I laughed evilly and got in the car. "You're sugar high, aren't you?" he guessed after he and Bella were buckled up. I nodded, and Jacob laughed. "This is going to be entertaining," he chuckled, shaking his head.

When we arrived at his house, I saw a man who was obviously Billy watching tv.

"I can't believe Edward actually let you both come here," Jacob said again, and Bella rolled her eyes.

"You know he's being more flexible about this!" she told him, giving him a slight glare.

Jacob grinned, then told us he was going to change so he could contact some of his 'brothers'.

When he came back, he was human again.

"Sam says that we'll have to go to his house," he said, and I smiled more.

So, we drove to Sam's house, and a young woman with scars down the side of her face that greeted us with a smile.

"It really wasn't expected, but Sam, Paul, and Embry will be here very soon."

She let us into the house, making a large amount of scrambled eggs in the biggest pan she could find, and Embry and Paul showed up. Sam came a minute later.

When Sam entered, he immediately strode over to Emily and kissed her. The way he looked at her, with such longing and love, it was indescribable. Jacob had explained imprinting to me on the way there, and that Sam had imprinted on Emily.

They really looked like they belonged together.

I was bouning up and down in my seat the entire time, and they were all staring at me.

"I- I- I- I'm-" I managed to say, then I looked at Bella for help.

"She's sugarhigh," she said, and Embry laughed. Sam and Paul kept straight faces, obviously trying to be patient with me. "It's her birthday today, and she had a piece of cake a little bit ago."

I giggled out of nowhere, and they stared at me again.

"Sorry!" I said, trying to control myself. It didn't work. I wound up babbling on and on about random things whenever there was a silence, then around seven, I crashed. Jacob lifted me into his arms and carried me to his car, then took me and Bella to a point where Edward could pick us up. Just when I had gotten into his silver volvo, I fell asleep.

**-Edward's POV-**

The moment I heard Abellia's head thump against the glass, I knew she was out for the night. She and Bella had spent two and a half hours there, and from what I could tell from Jacob's thoughts, she had nearly driven Sam and Paul insane. I chuckled to myself when I put her in the backseat.

The drive home was silent, Bella smiling, probably thinking about the visit, still. I still had confidence that I'd find a way to decipher her thoughts, but it irritated the hell out of me all the same.

I dropped Bella off at her house, then took Abellia home.

Now, I was more irritated. Alice had just seen a few different visions of the vampire. He was still unable to decide when to come, as if he were thinking that he'd make a wrong move and get on our bad side. Which could happen, if his purpose changed.

I very much just wanted to go and find the fool, then drag him here, just so he'd stop bothering us with his irritating indecisiveness. I again looked at Abellia as she slept. She was so small, possibly weaker than Bella, more breakable than her. I was afraid for her. My stomach suddenly lurched with hunger. I knew my eyes were going to be black soon and I needed to hunt. Very badly. I quickly removed myself from Abellia's room, ignoring the inner monster that was telling me to drink her blood. It gnashed it's teeth once, then let me be. I went to Bella's house again, and waited by her window until she was ready for me to enter her room.

I slipped easily through, and flopped down silently onto her bed while she brushed her teeth. I stared at her ceiling, before turning onto my right side and picking at a loose thread on her quilt.

Bella came in, and gave me her beautiful smile, which I returned with my crooked one. I heard her heart pound a little harder as she layed in my arms, and I cupped her face into my hands for a moment, looking into her deep brown eyes, then kissed her. She kissed back, but after a little bit, she forgot about the boundaries we had agreed on and pressed her body to mine, putting her hands at the back of my head and scrunching my hair into her fists. I sighed, and gentley pulled her away, untangling myself from her grip. She sighed as well, and I wrapped my arms around her again, pulling her to my chest.

"We've talked about this before," I murmurred into her ear, and again, her heart pounded just a little harder. I smiled to myself.


End file.
